Dick Nunis was responsible for opening every theme park until his retirement in 1999. When I saw the tag line Wave Machine Specialty, I was reminded of a story from Van Arsdale France about Dick Nunis and his wave machine.

Before opening, Dick Nunis fought for a $400,000 wave machine for the Seven Seas Lagoon that would lap waves on the shore of the beach at the Polynesian. Dick hoped that professional surfers would be able to put on shows and that children and body surfers would be able to enjoy the inland ocean experience. The wave machine worked, although it mostly eroded the Polynesian’s beach.

At a Club 55 meeting, Roy and Dorothy Eno were discussing Dick’s wave machine, when Roy winked at Dorothy and said, “That young whippersnapper will get his wave machine.” Note: Dick never gives up. In 1989, 17 years later, there was a beach and a working wave machine at Typhoon Lagoon, and Dick, the President of Walt Disney Attractions, expertly surfed on the first wave at opening. -p. 92, Window on Main Street: 35 Years of Creating Happiness at Disneyland Park

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One thought on “Wave Machine Specialty”

Bravo! I was wondering when I would get my next Main Street Window fix and from where! Thanks for that post – and glad that Dick finally got his wave machine (and I’m glad too because my family and I love that at Typhoon Lagoon!).